1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cable retainer for a tooling gage.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to use hand-held or portable tool instruments to collect real-time data regarding products being manufactured and tooled on a shop floor. Often these instruments are gages that have a digital output. The data from the gage may be transferred from the instrument through a cable to a computer where the data is typically processed for things such as statistical process control. For example, a worker measures a part and gathers dimensional data to determine if the part “as built” matches the specification “as designed.” The data collected may be used to correct the manufacturer's process of the part if the part is found to differ from the design.
Because workers can collect data from sample parts at various points within the process, variations in the process that may affect the quality of the end product can be detected and corrected, thus reducing waste as well as the likelihood that problems will be passed on to the customer. By measuring work on the shop floor, instead of waiting until the end of the process, workers can measure the production of parts closer to real time, so the results have more value in controlling the process. An analysis of a part cannot be meaningful unless the gages used to collect data are accurate and the data can be transferred accurately to the computer doing the analysis. SPC cables are typically used to transfer the information from the gage to the computer, allowing the computer to receive streaming data. Vibrations and normal movement on the shop floor, as well as repeated use of the portable instruments, often result in the cable working itself out of the terminal in the gage. This results in the cable frequently becoming partially unplugged or disconnected from the gage and makes the instrument essentially nonfunctional because the continuous digital data output goes nowhere. There is a need to more securely prevent a cable from becoming dislodged from the tooling gage.